Eyes Wide Shut
by EpikalStorms
Summary: When the Team, sans Robin, is sent out on a mission to protect one Richard Grayson-Wayne, will they ever be able to see what's right in front of them? In this story, friendships shall be established and mended, secrets will be revealed, lives will be rediscovered, and Batman might just realize what's been going on behind his back all along. ON HIATUS(see poll)
1. Chapter 1

It started off as a standard mission brief. Batman had summoned all of them to the room. The teens lined up and waited patiently.

"I'm sure as you know this is Gotham City," Batman explained, bringing up a map of the city. "Recently there has been an increase of death threats made against Gotham wealthiest man, Bruce Wayne. A picture of Bruce Wayne appeared on the screen."

"Oooo I know him!" Megan interrupted. "He's on TV all the time!"

To the side, Robin twitched but otherwise gave away nothing to signal his current amusement.

"So what?" Wally asked. "We're gonna take care of the person sending Mr. Wayne death threats?"

Batman shook his head. "No, now pay attention." The teens quieted. Another picture appeared on the screen. It was a picture of 6 children; 4 boys and two girls. "Mr. Wayne has agreed to be used as bait in order to lure out who is behind this and the League will be on standby to capture the criminal. However Mr. Wayne is concerned that the people after him will try to attack his children."

Robin paled a little. He didn't like where this was going.

"Your task is to protect them," Batman said.

"WHAT?" the teens shouted.

Robin on the other hand had a different reason to shout out, "But Dad!"

He instantly shut up and flushed a red color as his teammates stared at him in surprised. Robin glared at his adoptive father and scowled. Even though he was as stoic as ever, Robin knew damn well that Batman was laughing at him. Bastard. He probably set up this entire mission on the sole fact that Robin would have to be Dick Grayson while Batman played Brucie. The whole 'If I have to suffer, you're gonna suffer with me' gambit.

"No buts," Batman ordered. "You will be guarding the children. Robin you are on standby in case the League requires your hacking skills."

Robin scowled harder. By standby, Batman really meant as soon as you get the obvious reason to leave your team, do so because Robin and Dick Grayson can't be at the same place at the same time.

This was so not fair.

**XXX**

The team was heading back from the showers, after a long training session with Black Canary. Robin was ready to collapse, and his legs felt like jello, with the fruit bits lodged in.

Wally slowed his pace a little, so that he and his best bud were walking side by side.

"Dude! Batman's your _Dad_?"

A shrug.

He waited for a real answer, as in actual _words_, but none came. So he decided to pry a little. "And, I didn't know this... _why_?"

This time, he received a chuckle. "Just because you're by best friend, Kid Mouth, doesn't mean you know all of my secrets." Robin turned and disappeared into his room, seemingly oblivious to the confusion of his teammates.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**okay, so this seem familiar, anyone? I adopted it, but the chapter seemed way too short, even to me, queen of shortened chapters and cliffies.**

**Please review, and tell me what you think!**

**As always-**

**~ Scy**


	2. Chapter 2

Robin jumped on his motorcycle and sped off into the night. He knew for a fact that the others wouldn't miss him, and he was suppose to be on 'standby' anyways. He thought about the mission debriefing as he approached the mansion.

_Seriously, though. The hit mans after him, not us! Why do we have to be guarded, too? I-_

He slammed down on the breaks. Hard.

_Please, d-dammit, please, No... No... Oh, God, please, NO!_

….

Life just got_ so_ much harder.

**XXX **

Artemis sighed. Okay, so Robin disappeared last night, so what? He disappeared, like, all the time. She took her thoughts away from that, though. There was so much more to think about right now. Like Richard Grayson.

_Poor kid..._

Artemis didn't know how many times she had passed him in the school hallways. She had tried her best to ignore him. He was a freshman! Why would she be friends? He was suppose to be in the sixth grade, for crying out loud. They say he was a genius. She remembered her first day of school at Gotham Academy, when she had just met her tour guide, Bette, and that cute little- _cough_**- **that little weird black haired kid had come up from behind and snapped a picture of them, claiming that they would "laugh about this later". He was always so happy.

The picture remained on the screen. They were all gathered in the meeting room, where Batman was staring at the floor. Kid Flash was sitting cross-legged on a chair, at the table, staring, uninterested, in the bowl of pretzels before him. Aqualad was trying his best to stay calm, glaring at nothing in peticular, leaning against the wall with his arms folded against his chest. M'gann was hugging herself, tears threatening to overspill, breathing hard, and Connor was trying to comfort her, but glared at the screen in absolute anger every five seconds or so.

And her? She didn't know what to think. The six children that had lived in the Wayne mansion had been reduced to one. Richards Grayson.

The others were dead, killed, murdered. Batman had rushed into the mountain, holding file folders that were pressed tight against his chest. He had been _very_ angry. It was almost terrifying. But the news that he brought with him was even more so.

Connor suddenly slammed his fists on the table, causing everyone to jump. "If we'd only gotten there a few hours earlier, we could've saved them! You should've given us this mission the day Bruce Wayne was threatened! We could've saved them!" He pointed an accusing finger at the League members in the room with them.

M'gann sniffed. "Poor Richard! Now he doesn't have any siblings."

Artemis tried her best not to sound uncaring. She really did feel sorry for the kid. "Yeah, but what I wanna know is this; why did _he_ get sparred, out of all of those kids?"

She looked back up at the screen. It was the head article of the Gotham Times, featuring a picture of a young Richard Grayson, hiding his face in the shirt of world-class billionaire, Bruce Wayne. He didn't want them to see him, and Artemis knew that he didn't want to be there. She also knew that his face was probably streaked with tears.

"Richard Grayson was out in the city, at a party with his friends, when the murders took place." Batman seemed of his rocker, today. She really wanted to know why, but The Dark Knight would probably rip her face off if she pried. "He was returning home when he found his siblings' bodies. He immediately called for police assistance."

Her face paled. He's the one who found them? Richard? By himself? Alone? In the middle of the night?

"That probably sucked." Wally blurted, in a shaky voice. He started to stuff the pretzels into his open mouth. Artemis socked him in the stomach. Why did he have to be so indifferent?

Batman glared at him. "We are dispatching you all to the Wayne manor in three minuets. Get packing. Richard Grayson needs all the protection he can get."

Artemis breathed a sigh of relief. Batman was right. Dick -since when were they on first name basis?- really did need them, even if he probably had no idea who the hell they were.

He needed someone, right?

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Okay, so I know you guys are hating me about now, and I probably have a few hundred mobs outside my front door right now, but let me explain this chapter a bit. Even though I know you won't like it.**

**I only meant this story to have Dick in it, and I guess I forgot to take out the others. Pluse, I neeed a few tradgedies, right?**

**I feel so sorry for Dick, right now. I know, Im evil...**

***sniff***

**As always-**

**~ Scylar**


	3. Chapter 3

_Robin—no, Richard—fell to his knees, his shins shifting the gravel. Tears ran down his face as he tried not to breath in the fumes of his siblings blood._

_He numbly reached for his communicator, call Batman, call anyone-_

_But this is his fault. All Da—Batman fault. All Bruce's..._

_He detangled his black cell phone from his messenger bag, his hands shaking as his fingers dialed the one number everyone knows, the one number that Gotham usually ignores, since it never gets help in time._

_9-1-1_

_The screen glowed green as the tone went off, and there was a click, as someone picked up on the other line._

"_H-hi, I'm Richard Grayson... a-and I th-think my sisters and brothers were murdered..."_

**XXXX**

Commissioner Gordon knelt next to the young black haired ward of his friend, the Billionaire Bruce Wayne.

He had called Bruce five minuets earlier, and the man had told him hat he would be their as soon as possible.

Officers stood by, and watched sadly, as Gordon hugged Richard Grayson.

Poor kid.

Poor, poor kid...

**XXX **

Robin knelt in the gravel, but he was calm, and collected. He analyzed the bodies the best he could, before the officers sealed them up in black bags.

He walked away from Commissioner Gordon. He was a great guy, and all, but he really needed to let Batman know about this.

"_Batman to Robin, you there?"_

It took a while for the man to pick up, but eventually; _"Batman. What is it?"_

The boy took a deep breath, then stated coolly. _"Your kids are dead, Bruce. All of them but me. You should have sent out the YJ a little earlier."_

There was a _click_ and Robin shut his communicator. He walked into the mansion, and instantly bumped into somebody. He stepped back sharply, only to realize it was Alfred.

Blue eyes meet old, green ones. The tears finally spilled over, and the butler hugged Richard tightly.

"I am so sorry, Master Richard."

**XXX**

Aqualad walked forward and shook the young boys hand. Richard Grayson seemed to find the floor very interesting, because he hadn't looked at either of their faces. Not once.

Artemis put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Dick. We'll find whoever did this."

The kid looked up at her, and they all were taken aback at how blue and serious his eyes were.

_To serious for such a little kid._

Conner nodded sharply. "And we'll make them pay for what they did."

Aqualad was about to tell him that it wasn't their job to find the killer, but Rich surprised them all by bringing up a ghost of a smile.

"Yeah? Well, make sure it's _severe_."


	4. Chapter 4

Robin stepped into his room. He looked back to make sure that nobody was there, and slammed the door shut. He winced, knowing the sound would attract someone.

_Crap._

He threw himself on the mattress, tears overflowing. They spilled down his cheeks like he was in a freaking _rainstorm_. He tried to listen for footsteps over the noise, but all he heard was someone crying horribly in the distance. It took a few minuets for him to realize that the sound was him.

A door banged open, and Superboy, Kaldur, and Artemis stood in the doorway.

_Aw shit._

**XXX **

A strangled cry rang through the mansion, and the team panicked, because it had come from Richards room. Richard, the boy they were suppose to protect.

They followed Kaldur up the stairs, and Artemis tried the door. It was locked. Connor growled, and she moved out of the way as a dark blur swept past her and knocked the lock right of the door. They peered into the darkened room.

Richard lied still, chest shaking in sync with his sobs. His face was buried into the large pillow set on his bed, and his feet, still wrapped in boots, dangled off the side.

Artemis sighed, ushering the others out of the room and pulling the door shut behind her.

Connor glared at her. "Why did you do that? He needs help! He's hurting!"

Artemis shook her head at the look Kaldur was giving her. "No, he doesn't want help. He doesn't need help. He needs time to himself, and we should honor that, and give it to him. It's his house, after all."

Kaldur sighed, and pulled Superboy down the hall as Artemis followed. "I suppose you are correct, my friend."

Connor growled. He wasn't too sure. But Artemis knew more about humans. Maybe she _was_ right, after all.

**XXX**

There was a soft thud, and Dick knew that they were leaving him alone. He almost wanted to shout to them, to tell them to stop. _No wait, come back! _

He needed them. Their comfort. His friends. _Please, don't go!_

But these were not Richard Grayson's friends. No, neither were they Dick's friends. They were friends of Robin, Boy Wonder. Robin, emotionless, unreachable. Robin, the hero, the fighter, the acrobat, the happy kid who laughed and joked, with his _friends_. Robin, who wasn't here.

Dick buried his face back into the pillow, a sob escaping from his throat, and he cried all the harder.

_I want my life back. I want my parents. I want to be normal. I want... I want..._

_I want._

_I want._

_I want._

You want.

Want it. Want them.

Want.

Desire.

Want.

Wish.

_I wish._

You want.

You never get it, though.

You want, you never get...

Want.

Want.

Want.

Wish.

Hope.

Desire.

_Need._

You never get.

None are received.

A wish is just a fairy tale. A legend once told, fading into history, alone, all but forgotten.

No one notices what you _need_. What you want. What you wish for. What you desire.

_Need._

_Need_ it.

No, you want it.

You don't _need_. You want.

You can only hope for the best. You can only wish for it to happen. You can only want it so much.

Wishes never come true.

Hopes are never quenched.

Desires are never fulfilled.

Nothing.

After everything you do, you get nothing.

Nothing at all.

Dick sobbed, trying in vain to see the bright side of things, but he seemed to be lost in a endless void, a dark tunnel, a cavern with no entrance, or exit.

Want.

Want.

Want.

You never get.

Nothing.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

**And now, I feel depressed. Crud muffins.**

**Anyone?**

**Told ya, Dick's mind is a scary, scary place. ^ ^**

**with love, waffles, and peace for all platypus fans-**

**~ Scy**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I'm trying my best to update my stories in an orderly fashion—Oh, what the heck? Type-type-type-type-! With my ADHD, I'm NEVER gonna be able to do orderly. Bet I didn't even spell it right(I _did_, but _still_).**

**ANYways! On with the story, I shall say!**

**Trying my best to make this one a filler.**

**Chapter:**

Superboy was miserable. All night, Richard cried and cried. As the one person in the mansion with super hearing, only he could hear it. It never stopped. Sobs echoed in his ears. Megan was sitting in a chair, though, legs folded beneath her and eyes staring forward at the window, apparently watching the rain. It appeared to be really entertaining, so he decided to join her.

"You okay?'

She shook her head, and when she spoke, her voice cracked right at the beginning. "His emotions, it's so hard to ignore them. They're so powerful, so sad. And I feel that if I do manage to ignore him, I might somehow hurt his feeling. I don't know what to do."

She was shaking now. He wrapped an arm around her before sighing heavily. "Just... sit tight. Okay? We'll... get through this somehow."

Aqualad, who was standing near the couch, nodded. "The League has entrusted us with a vast amount of responsibility. We must prove to them that we are worthy of it, while still reminding young Richard that he is not alone. It is not as easy a task as it appears, I know, but we will get through with it. Somehow. Together."

Connor nodded, giving the young Martian girl in his arms a tight squeeze before walking out of the room to do patrol.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Robin strained his neck muscles, trying to bring his head up from the place in the pillow where he had planted it. Then, he let it fall back down once more, only to pull up again. And repeat.

He'd been doing this forever, over and over again, crushing his face deeper into the pillow with every hit. He just couldn't understand how they could all be dead. They were all too smart to get murdered, even baby Dami was a genius. How?

His answer came, later than morning, when Commissioner Gordan showed up at his front door with the autopsy reports.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Aqualad jumped as a knock sounded at the large oak front doors. He cast a cautious glance at the others, who were immediately alert. Kid Flash zoomed up to the door, crouching in the shadows with Artemis, ready to pounce at any second. Megan was floating above the archway, ready to drop if any sign of danger showed. Kaldur got his water swords ready, as Connor strode forth to sweep open the door.

They all relaxed. It was just the Commissioner.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Gordan, along with his assistant patrol man, Talean, gaped at the scene, after the door swept open, to reveal five super teens.

Miss Martian floated into view from above; Kid Flash and Artemis sprinted over from the left: Aqualad was just barely seen sheathing his water weapons, and Superboy stood in the middle of the doorway.

"Hello." Superboy greeted them, humbly.

Talean waved, hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

Gordan leaned forward, glancing around, suddenly anxious. "So... um, do any of you know where Richard is?"

Superboy nodded slowly, but no one said anything.

There was an awkward feel to the air around them, now.

"Ah... could you... _tell_ me where he is?"

Miss Martian's face brightened. "Oh! Uh, sorry! That was rude!" She let herself dropped to the ground, casting a questioning gaze at the dark-skinned Aqualad, who gave her a firm nod. "Here, let me show you. He's just upstairs."

Gordan nodded, motioning for Talean to stay put, before following the green teenager up the grand staircase.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Talean stood, stiff, before the four supers before him. He had absolutely no idea of how to act. Was he suppose to just sit still and not talk? Or would that make them angry? What if one of them zapped him with heat vision? Needless to say, the officer was totally freaking out.

After a few tense minutes of silence, the green-clad archer, the one they call Artemis, gave an irritated sigh. "Chill, dude. We're the good guys. Nothing to worry about."

Talean made no move to relax. Artemis frowned. "C'mon, man, I'm human too! How are we different from each other?"

Talean shrugged. "Um... You're an amazingly skilled archer that takes out super villains on a daily basis, and I'm just a newly recruited cop who eats donuts and drinks coffee all day while sitting in front of an incredibly boring computer screen and waiting for something exciting to happen?"

The blond girl blinked. "Well... I guess. Wait, new recruit? No wonder."

Kid Flash was drooling. "Donuts? Coffee? All day? And Internet, too? Dude! Unfairness, I tell you!" He threw his hands into the air. "Lu-ucky!"

Kaldur rolled his eyes in a moment of pure teenage-ness. "Ignore him, Officer Talean. He has a speedy metabolism."

"Ah." Talean was finally starting to relax. These guys weren't so bad, when you actually think about it...

Connor nodded. "That's Kid for ya."

"Hey!"

"Cannit." Artemis punched him in the arm. "OW!"

She stepped up to Talean, holding out a hand. "Hey, my name's Artemis. That's Kid Mouth you just saw, and Big-and-Serious over there is Superboy. Aqualad is the resident Fish boy, over to your left. Miss Martian is the green girl upstairs with the Commish, and Robin's somewhere out in the big wide world. What's your name?"

Talean cast her a shy smile. Actually, they were about the same age... whoa, weird. "I'm Markus Talean, but all my friends call me Markie."

Kid Flash beamed. "Really? Cool! All Artemis' friends call her Arty!"

"Do not!" This earned him another punch in the arm. "Gah! Will you _STOP_ that!"

Artemis huffed. "No."

Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Ugh." then he smiled over at Markus again. "Well, Markie, all my friends call me KF. Or Kid."

Aqualad smirked. "Or Kid Mouth."

Artemis suppressed a chuckle. "Or Kid Obvious."

Connor grinned. "Or Kid Jerk."

"Kid Flashy."

"Kid Annoying."

"Kid Eyeballs."

"Kid Dork."

"Kid Geek."

"Kid the Science Guy."

"Kid Nerd."

"_Guys_!" Kid Flash sent them all death glares (that didn't really work as well as Robin's did). "Stop!" Talean tried holding in his laughter, but it escaped him anyway, and soon all five of them fell to the couches, laughing their intestines out.

Artemis turned to Kid Flash, finally. "Oh, and b.t.w, Kid? Your Batglare really needs some work."

Markie raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Batglare?"

She smirked. "That's what us Supers call any kind of glare that is suppose to be menacing. Daddy-Bat's is the best, since he's the one who invented it. Then Robin, since he's Batman's son... "She cast the other's a look. "Then, there's Superman's, since his actually hurts. Ya know, laser vision and all that?"

But Talean was still stuck on something else. "Waitwaitwait... you lost me at "Batman's son"... His _son_?" His eyes widened. "Ohhhhh, of course. Now it makes sense." Suddenly, he let loose a chuckle. "D-Daddybats?"

Artemis nodded, and her expression turned deadly serious. "But you mustn't tell him that the name even exists. It'll be the end of the world as we know it."

Markie nodded quickly. Batman definitely wouldn't like something like that.

Of course, unknown to them all, they were in the goddamn Batman's very own _house_. Which, of course, had cameras. With sound. Which Batman himself reviewed almost every night.

… ^ ^

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

**Okay, so how was it? I tried my very hardest to not make this chapter depressing...was it good? I hope so!**

**Anyway: Steeve says 'Hi' ( he's my personal plot bunny), and there is only one more week of school left (not counting my extra week of summer school, though DX )... I'd say things are looking up! ^ ^**

**So, read, review, and send surplus waffles. Thank you.**

**-EpikalStorms**

**(Storm)**


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